He was supposed to become EU Commission President von der Leyen’s representative for small and medium-sized businesses. But there was criticism of Pieper’s personality: nepotism was an accusation. The CDU politician is now resigning from the post.
After massive criticism, the German CDU politician and MEP Markus Pieper is resigning from the position of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s representative for small and medium-sized businesses. The authorities in Brussels announced this.
“The President respects and regrets Markus Pieper’s decision not to take up his position as SME representative on April 16 as planned,” said a spokesman for von der Leyen. There will now be a new edition of the selection process, but only after the European elections in June.
Pieper: Can’t meet expectations at the moment
Pieper told Handelsblatt on Monday that his appointment had also been made more difficult by opposition from EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. “Just as Breton boycotted my taking office within the Commission in advance, I currently see no possibility of fulfilling the legitimate expectations associated with the office,” said Pieper.
Breton, like EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and commissioners Paolo Gentiloni and Nicolas Schmit, expressed concerns in a letter about the “transparency and impartiality” in the appointment of the Commission head’s party friend. The fact that the commissioner responsible for small and medium-sized businesses and reducing bureaucracy was questioning the procedure was “bad form and solely motivated by party politics,” Pieper now told the Handelsblatt.
Motion against Pieper’s appointment
Last week, the European Parliament also called on von der Leyen to reverse Pieper’s appointment as SME representative; she was accused of favoritism. A motion written by the Greens, Social Democrats and Liberals was approved in plenary session on Thursday with 382 votes. 144 MPs voted against it, 80 abstained.
The background to the allegations is, among other things, that in the initial phase of the application process, two applicants from Sweden and the Czech Republic were rated better than the 60-year-old Pieper. The CDU politician, who comes from Münsterland, only prevailed in the selection interviews.
Pieper: Can’t meet expectations at the moment
Von der Leyen’s spokesman emphasized again on Monday evening that Pieper was a proven expert for SMEs who had prevailed in a multi-stage selection process. He also emphasized that the freedom of choice of all EU institutions in selecting their own senior management positions must be respected.
According to the commission, Pieper was actually supposed to take up the post in grade AD 15 this week. According to the EU salary table, he would then have received a basic monthly salary of more than 18,000 euros.